Leaders of three United Nation’s food agencies have expressed how important women and girls are in ensuring equal recovery from the COVID -19 pandemic. They said hunger and famine will persist unless more women in rural and urban areas hold leadership positions with increased decision-making power.
The leaders made this statement in an event organized to mark the International Women’s Day 2021. The event focused on the vital role that female farmers and others need to play to contribute their quota to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. In effect, creating an environment to eliminate poverty, enhance productivity, and improve food security and nutrition.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General, QU Dongyu stressed on some challenges women face. He then made a call to spark the necessary changes to empower women, particularly those in rural areas.
“The world is home to more than 1.1 billion girls under the age of 18. These girls have the potential of becoming the largest generation of female leaders, and change-makers ever seen for the better future. Yet, women and girls continue to face persistent structural constraints that prevent them from fully developing their potential. These constraints also hinder their efforts of improving their lives as well as their households and communities.
“Women and girls can play a crucial role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in particular in transforming our agri-food systems. We all need to work together to spark the necessary changes to empower women and girls, particularly those in rural areas.”
QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General.
Other UN Leaders’ Statements
The Executive Director of World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, intimated that women and girls make up half of our global community. Therefore, it is time this reflects in leadership positions at every level. He added that women and girls should have better access to information, resources and economic opportunities. As a result, hunger rates will fall and nutrition will improve not only for themselves but also their families.
“Investing in rural women’s leadership and involving them more in creating our post-COVID future is critical to ensure their perspectives and needs are adequately considered. Certainly, we can build back better food systems where there is equal access to nutritious food and decent livelihoods.”
Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD.
Background
Women’s leadership is particularly important in rural areas of developing countries. The voices of the 1.7 billion women and girls who live there are often overlooked. Sixty percent of women sub-Saharan Africa work in agriculture. Yet, they have less access to resources and services than men including land, finance, training, inputs and equipment. In addition to their agricultural work, women are overburdened with domestic chores and caring for their families. These roles have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ensuring that women have a greater voice is not only a matter of gender equality. Women leaders can advocate for women to have better access to and control over assets and productive inputs. In effect, boosting their productivity and incomes, leading to food security and increasing their employment opportunities and real wages.
Research shows that if women farmers had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields. There will be 20 to 30 percent increase in yields, lifting 100 to 150 million people out of hunger.
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